Applying for disability pension

Fill in the application for disability pension or rehabilitation subsidy in our Online Service 2–3 months before your sickness allowance ends.

As an attachment, send an up-to-date medical statement B written within the past 6 months. If we do not receive a medical statement B within two weeks of receiving your application, we cannot process your application. Please note that we will not process your medical statement B without an application.

You can also send us other medical reports. All medical reports must include your name and social security number.

Apply for disability pension

You can apply for Kela’s national pension on the same form if your earnings-related pension remains low. You can receive national pension in addition to disability pension if your pension amount does not exceed EUR 1,200–1,400 per month. Before applying for pension, you can calculate an estimate of your pension in our Online Service.

When reviewing your pension application, we will also investigate whether vocational rehabilitation could be of assistance in your situation. Our primary goal is to rehabilitate you to be able to get back to work.

Disability pension: processing the pension application

1. Receiving and reviewing the application

We will review your application and its attachments.
We will get back to you if we need further information.
We will forward your application to Kela, if necessary.
If new clarifications are received during the processing of your application, we will submit them to Kela on your behalf.
On average, processing takes approximately 6-8 weeks.
The processing of your application may take longer than average if, for example, we require further information.
We will send interim information about the progress of processing your application by SMS.

2. We will assess your work ability

We will assess your work ability based on the information you provided on the application and a medical statement B you submitted and any other health examinations. If necessary, we will request your most recent employer to provide a description of your work duties and coping at work. We will get back to you if we require further information from you.
Elo’s work ability specialist and specialist physician will jointly prepare an estimate of your eligibility for disability pension. If necessary, other Elo experts will also take part in preparing the assessment, such as a legal specialist.
When processing your application, we will assess whether your work ability can be influenced through vocational rehabilitation. Vocational rehabilitation is always the primary choice over disability pension.
If you have also applied for disability pension from Kela, we will assess your eligibility for disability pension together with Kela. We aim to reach the same decision with Kela.

3. Review our decision

You will be informed of the decision by SMS.
Take your time to review the decision and its attachments.
After a positive decision, submit your pension tax card to Elo
If you received a negative decision, review your options.

Applying for extension to rehabilitation subsidy

You can apply for an extension to previously granted rehabilitation subsidy if your work ability has not recovered during the rehabilitation subsidy. Submit the medical statement B on rehabilitation subsidy extension in our Online Service. You do not need to submit a separate application, an up-to-date medical statement B is enough. Submit a medical statement B 1 month before the end of the rehabilitation subsidy.

The average processing time of extension applications is approximately 3 weeks. You will be informed of the decision by SMS.

Partial disability pension: processing the pension application

1. Receiving and reviewing the application

We will review your application and its attachments.
We will get back to you if we need further information.
The average processing time is approximately 6-8 weeks.
The processing of your application may take longer than average if, for example, we require further information.
We will send interim information about the progress of processing your application by SMS.

2. We will assess your work ability

We will assess your work ability based on the information you provided on the application and a medical statement B you submitted and any other health examinations. If necessary, we will request your most recent employer to provide a description of your work duties and coping at work. We will get back to you if we require further information from you.
Elo’s pension specialist and specialist physician will jointly prepare an estimate of your eligibility for disability pension. If necessary, other Elo experts will also take part in preparing the assessment, such as a rehabilitation or legal specialist.
When processing your application, we will assess whether your work ability can be influenced through vocational rehabilitation. Vocational rehabilitation is always the primary choice over disability pension.

3. Review our decision

You will be informed of the decision by SMS.
Take your time to review the decision and its attachments.
After a positive decision, submit a payment application if you wish to receive the pension.
If you received a negative decision, review your options.

4. Agree on part-time work

Once you have received a positive preliminary decision on partial disability pension, discuss the matter with your employer. Working hours should be decreased in such a way that your gross earnings fall below the earnings limit mentioned in the decision.
If you are self-employed, your YEL earned income should fall below the earnings limit mentioned in the decision.

5. Fill in the payment application

After agreeing on part-time work, complete and submit the payment application for partial disability pension in our Online Service.

6. Payment decision

Once we have received the payment application, we issue a payment decision that states the start of pension and we will begin to pay pension.

7. Submit your tax card

Contact the Tax Administration and submit your pension tax card to us.

Negative decision on eligibility for disability pension

Decisions on disability pensions are based on employment pension legislation. In addition, decisions on disability pensions are guided by established decision practices, which are based on decisions handed down by appeal bodies. The reasons for rejecting your disability pension application are described in more detail in the justifications of the negative decision. Take your time to review the decision and its attachments.

Frequently asked questions

I live in Finland. How do I claim my foreign pension? How will my application be processed?

The easiest method is to complete an application and Appendix U using our Online Service. Your application should clearly state the countries from which you are applying for a pension.

You can apply for a foreign pension alongside your Finnish earnings-related pension, using the same application form from:

• an EU or EEA country,
• Great Britain,
• Switzerland and
• countries with which Finland has a social security agreement: Australia, Canada (Québec), Chile, India, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United States.

If you want to apply for pension from a country other than those listed above, you will need to apply directly from the pension provider in the country in question.

We will forward your application for a foreign pension to the Finnish Centre for Pensions, which will ensure that the application is submitted to the proper authority abroad. The relevant foreign pension provider will send the decision regarding your foreign pension directly to your home. If you are applying for pension from several different countries, each country in question will send you a separate decision.

Your application will be processed in Finland just like a national application. The application processing times in other countries may be quite long, but they do not affect the processing of your Finnish pension matters.

If you would like to enquire about the processing status of your application for a foreign pension, you will need to directly contact the foreign pension provider that is handling the application. Contact information for foreign pension providers is available from the Finnish Centre for Pensions.

I live abroad. How do I apply for my Finnish pension?

If you live in

• in an EU or EEA country,
• in Great Britain,
• in Switzerland, or
• in countries covered by social security agreements: Australia, Canada, Chile, India, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea or the United States;

contact the pension institution of your country of residence and apply for a Finnish pension there.

If you live in a country other than the one mentioned above, you can apply for a pension with a Finnish pension application. If you have online banking credentials from a Finnish bank, the easiest method is to complete an application and Appendix U using our Online Service.

If you are applying for a pension in a country other than the one mentioned above, you must apply for the pension yourself directly from the pension institution of the country in question.

For more information on how to apply for a pension abroad, see https://www.elo.fi/pension-from-abroad.

What to do if I receive a negative decision?

Take your time to review the decision and its justifications.

If your employment relationship is in force, you can contact your supervisor, occupational health care or HR. Assess the possibilities of continuing in your work with them.

Find out about the options of vocational rehabilitation if returning to your former work is not possible. The purpose of vocational rehabilitation is to find a route back to work that is possible in spite of your illness or injury. Your decision includes information about the responsibilities for arranging vocational rehabilitation.

Register as an unemployed job seeker with the TE Office if your right to sickness allowance has ended and you are unable to return to work. Apply for unemployment benefits from your own unemployment fund or Kela to secure your subsistence. If necessary, also investigate your eligibility for social assistance and housing allowance.

Call our customer service if you wish to discuss the negative decision and its justifications.

If you disagree with the decision, you can submit an appeal to us in accordance with the instructions for appeal. You can also subsequently provide us with new statements and application, and we will review the matter again.

Why was my disability pension application rejected, even though I have previously received sickness allowance?

The Health Insurance Act and Employees Pensions Act define work disability in different ways. Kela grants sickness allowance if you are unable to perform your established occupation. Disability pension can be granted if you are disabled for all kinds of work besides your established occupation.

In some cases, the difference between the definitions of work disability may lead to Kela having granted sickness allowance based on a disease, while the decision on disability pension is negative.

Appealing against a decision

If you are not satisfied with a pension decision, you can lodge an appeal with the Pension Appeal Board. You can appeal against a decision of the Appeal Board in the Insurance Court. The appeal must reach the court within 30 days of having been informed of the pension decision. The applicant is considered to have been informed of a pension decision at the latest on the seventh day after the decision was sent by mail if the decision was sent by paper mail. If you chose an electronic decision, you are considered to have been informed of the decision on the third day after it was sent.

In your appeal, you need to specify what kind of amendment to our decision you are seeking and justify it. You can also submit additional clarifications of your health later during the processing of the appeal. We will examine all of the new clarifications and inform you in writing whether the decision can be amended based on them.